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Fish and chips at the Kirkmichael Arms, a golden battered fillet on a white plate with a lemon half, a pot of chopped herbs and a cup of thick-cut chips.
Ayrshire

The Kirkmichael Arms

A village pub of 1700 in the South Ayrshire hills, revived by chef Justin Galea and now listed in the Michelin Guide.

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Welcome

In a small village in the hills of South Ayrshire, the Kirkmichael Arms is a country pub whose kitchen has earned a place in the Michelin Guide.

The pub dates from 1700, and when it closed in 2023, two locals set out to save it and found Justin Galea, an Australian chef who took it on sight unseen. His kitchen smokes its own salmon, churns butter, cures bacon and bakes bread, buying from Ayrshire farmers first and then the rest of Scotland, with classical French technique and a few Asian touches. You can come for a special dinner or just for fish and chips and a pint by the fire, and on Sundays there are seven roasts to choose from. It was named Best Scottish Pub at The Scotsman's Scran Awards in 2025, and dogs are welcome in the pub. It's open from Thursday to Sunday from 1pm, just 20 minutes from Ayr.

Not farPrestwick Golf Club11 milesSee itPrestwick Golf Club
Before you go

Book a table through its own site, especially for Sunday lunch.

Where
3-5 Straiton Road, Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire, KA19 7PH.
Open
Thursday to Sunday from 1pm. Closed Monday to Wednesday.
Sundays
A carvery from 1pm, with seven roasts to choose from.
Dogs
Welcome in the pub.
Children
Welcome, with a children's menu.
Phone
01655 750200

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
1pm–10.30pm
Friday
1pm–10.30pm
Saturday
1pm–10.30pm
Sunday
1pm–10.30pm

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Where it is

On Straiton Road in the village of Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire, KA19 7PH.

Close byKirkmichael, Carrick and the Burns country.
  1. StraitonStraitonA pretty eighteenth-century village on the Water of Girvan in the South Ayrshire hills, with a waterfall walk, a tearoom and an old inn.3 miles as the crow flies
  2. The Coo ShedThe Coo ShedA cafe on a family dairy farm just outside Ayr, with farm-fresh food, milk and milkshakes from the farm, and a plant nursery.5 miles as the crow flies
  3. Robert Burns Birthplace MuseumRobert Burns Birthplace MuseumThe National Trust for Scotland's museum of Robert Burns in Alloway, with more than 5,000 artefacts including his manuscripts, and a café.6 miles as the crow flies
  4. Brig o’ DoonBrig o’ DoonThe steep medieval stone bridge over the River Doon in Alloway, where Tam o' Shanter escaped the witches and his mare lost her tail.6 miles as the crow flies
  5. Burns CottageBurns CottageThe thatched cottage in Alloway where Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759, built by his father, part of the Birthplace Museum.6 miles as the crow flies
  6. Electric BraeElectric BraeA stretch of the coast road south of Dunure where a car seems to roll uphill, one of Scotland's best-known optical illusions.6 miles as the crow flies
  7. Culzean CastleCulzean CastleRobert Adam's clifftop castle on the Ayrshire coast, in a country park of woods, beaches, follies, gardens and a Swan Pond.7 miles as the crow flies
  8. Loch Doon CastleLoch Doon CastleA castle of the Bruce earls of Carrick, moved stone by stone from its island in Loch Doon to the shore in 1935.12 miles as the crow flies
Directions
Circular stone monument with columns rising above trees and blossom in AllowayAttractionsBurns Monument5.7 miles
Ruined stone church with bellcote surrounded by weathered gravestones among treesAttractionsAlloway Auld Kirk5.7 miles
a large bronze sculpture of a mouse standing upright in a clipped garden, hedges and trees behindWalksPoet’s Path6.0 miles
Two llamas side by side in a field at Heads of Ayr Farm Park, one brown and one black and white, under a blue and white sky.AttractionsHeads of Ayr Farm Park6.3 miles
Ruined stone tower on a grassy cliff above a sandy shoreAttractionsGreenan Castle6.7 miles
Stone spiral labyrinth on a clifftop above Dunure Castle ruinsAttractionsDunure Labyrinth7.0 miles
Patterned booth seating below a "Stop Thinking Start Drinking" signRestaurantsThe Fox & Willow7.3 miles
Two bakers prepare dough beneath a neon "BREAD" sign in a bakeryCafeNarture Sourdough Bakery8.2 miles

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